Device for preventing hosiery from shrinking.



No. 743,034. PUATENTBD NOV; 3, 190a.

L.E.ROACH.

DEVICE FOR PREVENTING HOSIERY FROM SHRINKING.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 9, 1901.

no MODEL.

INVENTOI? TNE uonms ms 50.. l-com-ui'na. WASHINGTON, n. c.

NITED STATES iatented November 3, 1903.

l ATENT OFFICE.

LAURA E. ROACH, OF BATHBEACH, NEW YORK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,034, dated November3, 1903.

Application filed December 9, 1901. Serial No. 85,141. (No model.

T at whom it may concerrt:

Be it known that I,-LAURA ELLA ROACH, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Bathbeach, county of Kings, and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices forPreventing Hosiery from Shrinking, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forminga part thereof, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts.

The subject of the present invention is a device more particularlydesigned for preventing hosiery from shrinking, and has for itsprincipal objects high efficiency, adj ustability to serve withdifierent sizes of stockings and half-hose, lightness, durability, andinexpensiveness of construction.

With the above purposes in view the invention consistsof a form or framehaving the general outline of a stocking and equipped with provisionwhereby the foot and other portions thereof may be increased ordiminished in size.

A development of the invention, as more fully disclosed hereinafter,involves a form or frame made from a single piece of stout wirepossessing a considerable amount of spring and bent to present an uppersuspending-hook, also adapted to serve as a handle, an extended legportion, and a foot portion, the terminal parts of the wire which occurat the foot portion being so peculiarly disposed as to permit said footand leg portions to be adjusted to assume one of several sizes and bepositively secured to retain the parts in any of said adjustments.

There are other novel features and details connected with the improvedform or frame, which are also referred to more extendedly hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a view of the improved form or frame. Fig. 2 is a verticaltransverse section through parts of the foot portion, the section beingtaken in the plane indicated by the dotted line a; m of Fig. 1 lookingin the direction of the arrow 2 and the view showing the parts on alarger scale. Fig. 3 is a somewhat similar View, the section in thisinstance being taken in the plane represented by the dotted line y y ofFig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow 3. Fig. 4 is a plan view ofthe bottom part of the form or frame, and Fig. 5 is a modification.

A section or length of spring-wire is bent at an intermediate point topresent the upper hook A, preferably turned to one side and of liberalcharacter, to adapt it for service as a handle in manipulating thedevice. From the base of this hook extend two horizontal bends a a,which form the top of the leg portion B, constituted by the two extendedmembers b b, shaped, respectively, to impart the desired leg-outline,these members merging into the lower ankle and foot portions 0 D. Theterminal parts D D which conjointly form the bottom of the foot portion,are arranged so that they are capable of relative movement to vary thesize of the foot portion and are adapted to mutually engage for rigidlyinterlocking them to maintain the parts in such adjusted position. Toprovide for such adjustability and locking, the terminal portion D isbent to form the horizontal rearwardly-extending series of verticalloops d with lower contractions d, the said part in addition beingprovided at its end with a transversely-disposed and somewhat smallerloop d located in a slightly-lower plane than the loops (2 and to oneside of the same. The terminal part D passes through and is guided inthe loop 61* and extends along one side of the series of loops d, theend of said part being shaped to form the inward and slightly upwardinclined small bend d and final vertical turn d As is well known,stockings and half-hose of certain textures after being subjected towetting in washing or other operation are liable to shrink to suchserious extent'as to impair their serviceability. and value.' My,

upper part of the loop at the side opposite to that on which the bend denters the latter. With the device thus conditioned should it becomedesirable to alter its capacity to provide for a larger or smaller sizestocking, as

. of another loop the part D can be released the case may be, the deviceis held with one hand and a finger of the other caused to exert a sidepressure against the turn d This, on account of the peculiar inclinationof the under side of the bend d coacting with the contiguous surfacepresented by the contractions d of the particular engagedloop d, willcause said bend to ride downwardly and outward on said contractedsurface, effecting also such lowering movement of the bend d as willsuffice to disengage the same from the upper part of the loop and bemoved through and clear of the same at the opposite side thereof, asindicated by dotted lines, Fig. 4, whereupon the part D can be slidthrough the guideloop with the accompanied movement of the turn (1horizontally along the series of loops at, and when the capacity of thedevice has been increased or diminished to the desired extent with thebend of opposite the opening and the normal spring tendency of the partD? forward of the guide-loop d with the latter serving as a purchase,will result in the turn being automatically sprung through the loop andthe inclined under face of the bend d riding upward on the contraction(1, lift and engage the turn (1 at the opposite side tosecurely lock theparts in their adjusted position. The device as thus arranged can beintroduced into the wet stocking to hold the same in shape againstshrinkage while drying and retaining the fabric under such moderate anduniform tension as will obviate the necessity for ironing the same.

Any number of these devices can be employed, according to requirement,and after theintroduction of each within a wet stocking the hook A canbe utilized to suitably suspend the same to promote convenient drylng.V.

The improved device may be made of any suitable material possessing thedesired amountofresiliency. When met-alemployed is. liable to rust orcorrode, its surface may be protected by electroplating, galvanizing,japanning, or in any other suitable. manner;

By modifying the shape of the device it can be adapted to similarlyserve for use in connection with difierent sizes of other articles ofapparel made from shrinkable textile fabric.

On account of the lightnessand narrowness of the. improved frame or formstowage and transportationof the same in largequantities is,facilitated.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the particularconstruction and arrangement of parts shown and described, as changesmay be made in the details thereof and the devicestill be within thespirit of my invention.

Instead of the series of vertical loops at (illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4,inclusive) I may secure to the terminal part D a thin vertical andlongitudinally-extending plate D provided with a horizontal series ofopenings d of hosiery, a frame composed of a single piece ofspring-wire, embodying integral leg, ankle and foot portions, oneterminal of the bottom of said foot part having a horizontal series ofvertical loops and an end guide, and the other terminal part having anend extension bent upwardly,laterally,and again upwardly, said partpassing through the said end guide of the other terminal and saidenddetachably engaging theloops in said series, substantially as shownand described.

2. In a device. for preventing the shrinkage of hosiery, a f rame.composed of a single spring-wire having leg, ankle and foot portionsintegral with each other, the foot portion having one terminalwith ahorizontal series of vertical loops and an end guide, and the otherterminal, which is movably extended through said guide, provided with anextension having an ,up ward,lateral and upward extended memberscomprising leg, ankle and foot portions, all of said parts integral witheach other, said foot portion having a part which embodies a horizontalseries of vertical loops. and a laterally-projecting end guide, and anextension which movably extends through said guide and is provided withan upward bend, a lateral bend and vertical turn at the end thereof, andwith a face inclined to ride on any of the said loops and guide the turntherethrough into engagement therewith, so that in disengaging said end,thesaid end guide operating both as a fulcrum and a bearing, willsupport the said extension, so that it can be both turned, and bentoutward to effect such disengagement, substantially as shown anddescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of two witnesses, this 30th day of November, 1901.

LAURA E. ROAGH.

Witnesses:

0. E. MCDONALD, BELLE PATTERSON.

